Listen to this devotion
Held Hostage
In the Word
Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you … (Psalm 55:22a NKJV).
Of the Word
After her release, a woman who had been held hostage by a foreign government was asked, “How did you survive? How did you pray? What did you pray for each day?” The woman’s answer was that she did not always pray for courage for the day. Rather, she prayed for courage for just the next moments.
Undoubtedly, few of us will endure that kind of hostage situation. But we may be held hostage in other ways — providing care for a loved one who is ill or mentally disabled, “parenting” elderly parents who can no longer attend to their own needs, living with our own aging and inefficient bodies.
The psalmist has comforting words, Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22 NKJV).
So when can we give Jesus our burdens, our pains, our heartaches? Each and every day, each and every moment. And when will He provide help for us? Each and every day, each and every moment. His Word is true.
Walking with my Lord
Dear Lord, You know my burdens. You know what things hold me hostage today. Lift my burdens and set me free. Help me to trust in You for each moment’s need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mustard Seed: Comfort from the Psalms. Authors: Marcia Gomulka & Myrna Lou Meyer. 8/30 ©2009 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
